A Killing Nebula and a Healing Spirit
by Sailor Nebula1
Summary: Very mysterious... You'll have to read it, because I'm not that good at summarys. I changed the rating because of some language. Please R&R!
1. Chapter One: Dissapearence

Chapter One  
  
Fukumi and Makoto were giggling over a magna that Fukumi managed to sneak from her house over to Makoto's place. "Don't you think that Jadoku or Luna would kill us if they found out about this? I mean, we are supposed to be doing our homework and thinking up new ways to defeat the dark forces of the Heart Snatchers," asked Fukumi. Her bright orange locks were braided into a rope of hair that reached her feet. She was wearing khaki carpenter pants, along with a shirt that held her karate center's name. Her throat held a necklace that upon closer examination consisted of a topaz stone in the shape of a sphere on a silver chain. Jinkyou Fukumi was Sailor Nebula, and one of the oddest of the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Nebula's powers were mostly geared towards the evil side of things, but she preferred to fight on the light side. "I'm a paradox," she liked to say, "I fight against what I am." She was known as the "Dangerous Sailor Senshi". She still is dangerous, especially when her artwork is involved. Fukumi is a evil Senshi, but she has decided to gear her powers to helping the Light side of the Sailor Senshi. She was moody and unpredictable any time of the week. However, she didn't seem to be too preoccupied with earth's fate at the moment. She seemed more interested in the Futsutsuka Rijun magna and debating with Makoto who was cuter, Futsutsuka or Kairai. "Yeah, but I can always win Luna over with some of my salmon or tunafish." Makoto was wearing a sweatshirt with a zipper that was a dark green. Her blue jean pants weren't as baggy as Fukumi's were, but they were close. Her brown hair was in a ponytail and hidden underneath her blue- green baseball cap. Makoto was the best cook out of all the Sailor Senshi. Makoto was referring to one out of four of the animal guides that guided and assisted the Sailor Senshi, both in and out of battle. Luna was a black cat that had a cresent moon on top of her head. She could talk, and used her talent to the fullest extent. Luna was the first of the guides to appear, and lived with Usagi, who was Sailor Moon and the future Neo Queen Serenity. "But I can bet you ten yen that Jado-chan would try to bite you if you tried to bribe him," replied Fukumi. Jadoku was Fukumi's Cape Cobra. He had been Fukumi's pet ever since she was old enough to have a snake. He was still able to produce venom, only it was ten times as deadly. He could talk just like the rest of the guides. But sometimes his advice was a little odd (he is a reptile, so his points of view are different than Fukumi's). He was a stickler for the truth, and would not tolerate lying. "Oh well. Hey, where are Minako, Rei, Usagi and the others? They know how to get there, so how could they get lost?" asked Makoto. "I mean, I did give them the right directions the first time, so how could they be lost now?" "I don't know," Fukumi said sagely, "but I do have an idea on how to find out. JADOKU!!" the last word was shouted into the hallway. "Yes? What does her imperial highness desire now?" Jadoku asked semi- sarcastically as he moved almost silently into the room. "I trust that you are not in a life or death situation that would require my utmost attention, so what is the problem?" "Have Usagi and the others arrived yet?" Fukumi queried almost too patiently. "Actually, I was just about to ask the same thing," admitted Jadoku, dropping his proper grammar air for a moment. "Well, they haven't been here yet, and I think that we need to go and find them," Makoto interrupted. She was used to hearing Luna, Artemis, and Diana talk, but she was still a little nervous around the cobra. After all, it would only take one bite to kill her. "All right, fine, but I will only allow you to go if one of you carries me. I refuse to allow incompetent youngsters to handle a occasion with this much responsibility alone. After all, where would you two be if I hadn't taken many precious hours out of my time to teach you proper grammar?" "Rotting our English language potential in sheer boredom and discontentment," chorused the girls. They had made the major mistake of allowing Jadoku to teach them about old English. He of course, had made sure that they knew every single proper word and it's correct usage. All three of them walked out and started checking each of their friends hideouts. Makoto decided to check the video arcade, Usagi's house and the library. Fukumi and Jadoku chose to search out the mall, Rei's shrine, the hair salon and the candy store. Makoto and Fukumi agreed to meet at the food court (for lunch and to consult one another) when they had finished searching all of their friend's usual spots. When Fukumi arrived at the food court an hour later, she saw Makoto sitting all alone, looking extremely worried. "Find anything?" she asked, a little bit apprehensive. "Nope. Not a thing. How about you?" Makoto asked dispiritedly. "No sight of any of them. Why don't we check Mamoru's house? He's always home, and Chibi Usa's usually there, and she should know where they are." Mamoru was everybody's dream man. He was tall, handsome, and was also a warrior. He was Tuxedo Mask, the one who always bailed the Sailor Senshi out if they got into trouble. Mamoru was tall, with dark hair and eyes. He and Usagi were Chibi Usa's parents in the future. Chibi Usa had his nice side and Usagi's devilish side as well. He also likes to call Usagi 'buns- head', just for fun. "Okay. It's not like we have any other plans," sighed Fukumi as they started to walk towards Mamoru's home. When they arrived at their location however, nobody was there. It was as if everyone had died and this was a tomb. They looked everywhere, but couldn't find them. All of a sudden, Jadoku started to hiss and squirm in Fukumi's hand. "What's with you, Jadoku?" exclaimed Fukumi as she set him onto the ground. She knew from past experience that when he got this agitated, the squirming usually led to biting and a trip to the local hospital. "I sense a message from someone nearby. I can't tell who it's from, but I don't think the letter says 'How are you'," replied the extremely angry snake. He shot around the apartment for a few minutes. Soon he came sliding back into the room with a letter in his mouth. Makoto stared in wonderment at Jadoku as Fukumi opened the letter. "It's a trick that he just picked up from somewhere," explained Fukumi. "What the.." "What is it?" Makoto asked. All that she could get out of her stunned friend was, "Read this." The letter said:  
  
Better watch your back. Ryuu Kuki is coming for you next. "Who's that? I've never heard of her. Have you, Jadoku?" Makoto said worriedly. "Have I? Of course I have. Her name means Stalk and Kill, didn't you know that? She is one of the Heart Snatchers all right, and they only set her loose on someone that they really hate, and only as a last resort. She is the ultimate assassin," replied the serpent shakily. Makoto and Fukumi looked at each other in disbelief. "So you mean to say that-" "Yes," Jadoku answered a touch calmer, "This means that Rei, Usagi, Minako, Mamoru, Chibi Usa, Ami, and anyone else are most likely dead or barely alive." Fukumi and Makoto stared at each other in disbelief. 


	2. Chapter Two: Awakening

Chapter 2  
  
Luna was the first to awaken after their kidnapping. She shook herself a few times, and then began to look around for the Sailor Senshi. What she saw did not please her in the least. Tall stone-gray walls surrounded a relatively small room. What it lacked in comfort and niceties it made up in downright dismal looks. There was absolutely no ornamentation, no paintings or artwork. It was as if the owner of this lair did not want to be distracted by anything that would get in its way. It looked like the ceiling went on and on. Luna herself was enclosed in what appeared to be a floating prison made of a metal she had never seen before. The Sailor Senshi, Chibi Usa, Mamoru, Artemis and Diana were limp and prone on the floor of their separate box-like cells. All were floating about thirty feet in the air and . If Luna or anything did manage to escape, they would be immediately killed or mortally wounded upon reaching the floor. Oh dear, Luna thought as she began to pace worriedly, this does not bode well for our chances of escaping. I do hope that somebody will wake up. I sincerely doubt that any amount of yelling is going to do me any good. Even Luna could not explain the dread that she felt when she considered just staying put and waiting. She knew that they could not stay here for long, for whatever reason. A sinister laugh echoed in the immensely tall room which caused Luna to jump and hiss in fright. Tall, dark and beautiful, an extremely dangerous looking woman floated down from what appeared to be the room's invisible ceiling. She would have had shoulder length black hair if it wasn't already tightly restrained in a severe looking French braid. Her face was drawn tightly over sharp facial features. Her coal black eyes glittered in the dim light that was provided for this place. Her eyes lacked any other coloration excepting the dark pupils of her eyes. This of course, was the one and only Ryuu Kuki, famed bounty hunter and killer of the Milky Way Galaxy. "Why are we here? Why are we held hostage with no explanation?" Luna shouted as loud as she could at the still figure that was descending rapidly from above. "Why, why, why. Is that all you can think of to greet me, the hunter and killer of all this pathetic universes' criminals?" Kuki's mocking tone of voice grated on Luna's sensitive ears. The voice itself wasn't unpleasant, except that the owner was the only thing standing between Luna and death, a fact of which she was certain. "In fact, I would think that you would be honored to share a very special occasion with me. I have been waiting to be called on to serve my masters, but they have overlooked me because of my past history with their other generals," The last word was voiced with an all too audible hiss. "Do you not know what special meeting of the stars is arriving, almost on our doorstep?" "I have absolutely no clue as to what you are talking about." "Oh, but haven't you heard?" The woman smiled diabolically. "No, I suppose not. Well then, the task of instructing you on this wondrous occasion falls to me, I suppose." "Imagine the entire universe, at the beginning of time, when the Sailor Senshi were created. Think back to when Sailor Nebula was created. You know of the Teaching Ballads, don't you? No? Well, they state that when she emerged, the Negaforce was born at the same instant. Therefore, they had a linked life, one being unable to live without the other. The newly created Sailor Senshi could not stand to look at her, because of the fact that she was somehow bonded with such an evil thing. A growing hate began to emerge from the Sailors, and it was concentrated on the Terrifying Senshi. "Sailor Nebula was murdered. Horribly. But it wasn't by Queen Serenity's hand. No, it was by a simple serpent named Jadoku. He was a lowly helper to you Moon Cats, and he wanted to rise above his station. He decided that the best way would be to kill one of the Senshi, and then frame one of you as the culprit." "But why? Why would Jadoku do such a thing?!" For Luna had realized that the Jadoku that she was referring to was the same one who was a steadfast companion to Fukumi. "Oh, that part of the story will have to wait untill later," the sinister woman sneered after a slight pause. "I have much better things to do than tell you bedtime tales. Ta ta!" and with that, she vanished. On that lasting note, Luna turned to find that Artemis, Diana, and Chibiusa had finally awakened. "What is going on here, Luna? Where are we?" Artemis asked as soon as he felt strong enough to stand. Luna sighed inwardly. It wouldn't be very good to show any emotion other than optimism at the moment, but she hated explaining things. "Weird," was the only comment from Diana after Luna had stopped talking. But she was only a kitten, so it was to be expected. "Can you call Mako-chan and Fuku-chan? We need their help more than ever in this crisis," Artemis seemed to have recovered his cleverness at last (he had been babbling during Luna's explanation). "Actually, I haven't really had any chance to, since Kuki appeared right after I came to," Luna admitted shamefacedly. She pulled out what looked like a very small and flat pager from the place where she kept the Luna pens. "Mako-chan, can you hear me? Fukumi, answer me if you hear this." "Fuku-chan, that sounded like Luna!" an excited voice burst over the little communicator. "Mako-chan! Thank goodness," Luna sighed with relief. "Are you two alone?" "Yeah, we're in Mamoru's apartment. Where are you guys? You never showed up for our meeting." "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. We are in the lair of Ryuu Kuki. She kidnapped us. Can you track us at all?" This time Fukumi's voice came over the little communicator, along with her face on the viewing screen. "No. Ami-chan's with you, right? Of course she is," she answered her own question. "Why else would you be calling us?" "I don't know," Luna answered angrily. "Now, do me a favor and find Jadoku for me. I need to talk to him." "That's the thing, Luna. As soon as the communicator started going off, he disappeared like his tail was set on fire. I was trying to catch him while you and Mako-chan were talking, but he was too fast." "Oh dear," Luna commented worriedly. "Well, what you need to do is-" The communicator shattered, nearly impaling Luna with the shards of plastic that ricocheted off her cell's walls. The last glimpse she had of the other cats and Chibi Usa was a terrified one, as Luna's and their cages began to turn opaque and sound-proof. Luna began to pace, when a small figurine of Kuki appeared directly in the center of the cage floor. "Tsk tsk tsk. I thought you had been raised with some manners. Don't you know its impolite to call for help while you are being held hostage?" she asked, looking mockingly at the infuriated cat. Luna shouted at her, "I don't care! Go away!" "Oh, really, fine then. I'd just better provide you with some company before you get bored. Ta ta!" Before Luna could comprehend what that meant, she was falling only10 feet to the floor. She must have lowered the cages while she was talking to me. Happily, Luna noticed that the other Sailor Senshi had finally woken up. After another round of explanations, everyone decided to try each of their powers on their larger holding area. They had no effect on the heavily reinforced walls. "I don't think that this is going to work," panted Sailor Venus after dodging her own reflected Crescent Beam. "Yeah," Agreed Sailor Mars. Her hair and fuku were heavily burned from her last effort. "Let's see if there is anything here that'll help us out," Sailor Moon suggested. "From you, Usagi, something like that is a surprise to hear," muttered Sailor Mars as they all detransformed and started walking around, trying to find a place to escape. They had no luck. All of a sudden, Chibi Usa found a cylinder near to where she had been unceremoniously dumped to the floor. "Hey, everybody! Look what I found!" Chibi Usa yelled as she waved it over her head. "Let's see, Chibi Usa," everyone chorused as she held it out to Ami. This puzzled them for a moment, but they realized that since Ami was the smartest of the all, it was logical for her to look at it. " Hmmm, this is very interesting," Ami mused as she turned the cylinder over in her hand. "Its very light weight, and there seem to be a series of buttons. I don't want to risk pushing them, as it may cause a bomb to go off. What do you think we should do, Usagi-chan?" "What? Oh. Ummm, I guess you should try to see if it'll do something, I suppose." Ami stared at her in disbelief. "But I just said that doing so may cause the cylinder to explode!" "I think Usago has a point, Ami," Mamoru said kindly. "If Kuki really wanted to kill us off right away, she would have done so before we came into this place. She must have a purpose for us." "Alright, I'll give it my best shot," Ami said shakily. The gang held their breath When Ami keyed in the surprisingly correct code, bright lights started to emit from the tiny object. It startled Ami so much that she dropped it. It didn't make much of a difference because the cylinder had begun to float. For some reason, the cylinder began to melt and reshape itself into a sphere-like structure. The lights began to move around the small enclosure, finally coming to rest on a single point on top of the sphere. Once all the lights had united on the exact center, the cylinder began to crack open. A bright light covered all of the Sailors, causing them to feel an immense pain wash over them, searing their flesh untill they could see nothing but a bright, angry red light.  
  
And then there was darkness. 


	3. Chapter Three: Knowledge

Chapter 3  
  
Fukumi swore as the transmission from Luna broke and sizzled. " Hoolies! Luna, Luna, can you hear me? Luna, come in please." "Luna, this is Makoto. Please respond immediately," Makoto said pleadingly. "It's no use. We can't reach her," Fukumi said dispiritedly. "What do you suggest we do?" asked Makoto worriedly. "The only thing we can do, Mako-chan. We go and find Haruka and Michiru." Haruka and Michiru were half of the Outer Sailor Senshi. They were Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, respectively. Haruka is a competitive spirit, and she had found her life's calling in both race car driving and being a Sailor Senshi. She had sandy hair that was cut in a boyish style. Haruka was one of the tallest Senshi, second only to Fukumi. Michiru was kind and gentle, unlike her closest friend. She was an avid violinist, and enjoyed doing quiet things. Michiru's teal wavy hair was very similar to the water that she loved. "Sounds good to me," replied Makoto. She was a little worried because she knew that Haruka and Michiru had disappeared after the final great battle between Pharaoh 90, Sailor Saturn and Super Sailor Moon. They had driven off in Haruka's car, and no one had heard of them since. "But how are we going to find them?" "I'm going to try and use something that Jadoku gave me an idea for." The instant that Fukumi said that, Jadoku appeared out of nowhere and said angrily, "No you will not! That is not one of the attacks you are supposed to have! It was supposed to be a story that never happened," he begged pleadingly. "I'm still willing to try it, Jadoku. Kindly remember that I am old enough to care for myself, thank you," Fukumi retorted coldly. "Try what?" Makoto asked worriedly. She had been around Jadoku long enough to know that this time he was really worried for Fukumi. Jadoku acted as a surrogate parent for Fukumi, since she had lost everything that she knew when she became a Sailor Senshi. He truly cared for Fukumi, deep down in his heart. "She's going to try and use something that is expressly forbidden! Its as bad as when Setsuna stopped time during the last battle." He shuddered. "Fukumi, what are you doing!?" he screamed as he turned to look at Fukumi. "Nebula Mystery Power, Make Up!" was the only response that Jadoku got from her as she began to transform into Sailor Nebula. Bright purple swirling smoke started to surround her as she stiffened and curled up into a fetal position. The smoke (which smelled faintly of melting glass) shifted into a ghostly fuku which wrapped itself around her as she straightened, holding a staff in her right hand and a dagger in her left. As she stopped and posed against her symbol (what looked like a lopsided sailing vessel), her fuku became visible. It had the basic outline that all of the Sailor Senshi's uniforms did. Sailor Nebula's color were composed of a melody of warm and cool colors. Her bows were bright red, while her skirt was a yellowish orange color. Her arm bands were purple, and her tiara gem was black with an odd crack down the middle. "What do you think you're doing?!" Jadoku cried hysterically. "I am telling you to transform back immediately! Right now!" "No, Jadoku. I am going to do this to save the others. It's time I started pulling my weight around here." "Fukum.. Sailor Nebula, don't you think that you should listen to Jadoku?" Makoto asked worriedly. She had never seen Fukumi as Sailor Nebula, and it scared her more than a little bit, seeing that determination and anger on her face. Sure, Makoto herself liked to fight and help, but she had never seen such a look of pure bloodthirstiness. Makoto had never seen Sailor Nebula because she hadn't been a Senshi during times when they were battling. "No. I'm going to do this, whether you want me to or not." And with that, she took her Dagger of Colors and made a neat but deep slash down her left arm with her dagger. The dagger was about a foot long, and was extremely sharp. It looked like a very simple weapon, at least when it wasn't in use. Turning her arm over, blood dripping on the pavement outside of Mamoru's apartment, she said quietly, "Forces that have no name, I call on your powers. I control you, and now I will put you to use. Find the Outer Senshi!" As soon as she had said those words, it looked like her body had exploded into a thousand tiny bits. Makoto had to bite back a scream as the dots shifted into a huge monster. The thing had three of everything, and all of the parts were different colors. The Thing's heads all resembled skulls, and each wore a different expression. One was happy, one was mad, and one was neutral. They were all colored in shades of red and purple. Once it was completely formed, it turned to look at Makoto, who found herself tensing in case the thing attacked her. But for some weird reason it didn't. "Mako-chan, it would be best if you transformed into Sailor Jupiter. Jadoku, you will go with her." The voice was faintly reminiscent of Fukumi, but the new voice had a deep, unearthly sound. It grated on Makoto's ears and soothed them, all in one heartbeat. She hesitated, unsure of whether to listen to this monster. "Jupiter Star Power, Make-up!" Makoto cried as she made up her mind. Within a few minutes, the Sailor Senshi of Electricity had appeared and was streaking after the monster that had once been one of her best friends.  
  
??????????????  
  
"Uhhhnnn." Rei opened her eyes to a bright swirl of colors. She closed her eyes, and opened them again, this time without the intense pain she had felt on her first attempt. She woke up to a floating colored wonderland. Everything was in different colors, all of them shifting as soon as they came into view. She looked frantically around and saw to her relief that the others were waking up as well. They all looked like she felt, but they were alive, at least. "Usagi-chan! Minako-chan! You're all right," she exclaimed as she raced towards them, still a bit woozy. "Yeah, but where are we?" Chibi-Usa asked. "Do you know, Luna? "No, this isn't anywhere I've ever seen. Ami, why don-" "I'm already analyzing this landscape. It seems to be some kind of computer, but it was designed to store only one piece of data." Ah, is that the Sailor Scouts I hear once more? A huge voice boomed throughout the room, making everybody wince. It was a mixture of a deep male's voice and a soft, sweet female's. The Sailor Senshi just couldn't figure out which it was. However, it still was low enough to reverberate throughout everyone's bones. "Who.who are you?" Minako asked shakily. Why, don't you recognize me? the voice asked unhappily. Oh, it said after a second's pause, you have been reborn! That would explain everything. "Yes, we have been reborn. Now, would you please carry out whatever purpose we created you for?" Rei asked. She hated being in the dark about things that seemed very important. Of course, Princess of Mars. If you will all hold still for a few seconds, I can begin the tale. Before anyone could ask "What tale?" they all found themselves in a huge laboratory, where they all saw a capsule that was glowing with the outline of an extremely tall girl inside of it, and surrounding the capsule they saw. "Hey, that's me!" exclaimed Usagi. "Yeah, we're all here!" Minako said, stunned. Yes. I have taken you all back to the beginning of your creation. We are witnessing the creation of Sailor Nebula, or Jinkyou Fukumi as you now know her. As soon as the voice had ceased speaking, all the lights went out. The Sailor Senshi heard people crying out in confusion. But within a few minutes, the room was once again filled with light, but not the original bright, cheery white light. This new illumination was a deep, blood red color, as if someone had bled into the light. "Yessss, she will do. She will do nicely," a sinister voice drowned out all of the outraged cries that had been filling the lab for the past five minutes. All of a sudden, a scream penetrated the blood red light, making the regular light go back on. As Chibi-Usa looked towards the place where the capsule was, she saw a tall senshi stagger onto the concrete floor from the little pod. She had on the regular Sailor Senshi costume, but there was something different about her. Then she recognized the young woman who then fell face first onto the floor of the chamber, bloody and mangled. "Fuku-chan!" she cried, beginning to run towards her, her pink odangos bobbing, but found that she could not move. I am sorry, Small Lady. the voice said with palpable grief. But we must continue our journey, and there is nothing you can do for her. She has to grow into the Fukumi you know today. This all has happened. he said, addressing everyone whom he had brought with him (for it was the unconscious decision that this voice was masculine, no matter what it sounded like). Now I must show you what happens next, a few regenerations later, that makes everything come together. Once again, they were whisked off into another room, although this one was vastly different. This time, the room was a living room. It had a cheery, lived in look. It was plastered with artworks that seemed to have been created by the same artist. Whomever did this is very talented, thought Minako. She loved art and beauty, and these seemed to exemplify the terms. No one noticed when a small, orange serpent slid silently into the room untill it started talking to itself. However, everyone instantly recognized the voice. "Now, if those stupid mice have done their job right," a very annoyed Jadoku mumbled. "then Sailor Nebula should be arriving any second now." As Ami turned her head in the direction of footsteps that were coming steadily closer, Jadoku disappeared under a lounging chair. "My goodness, that's the last time we go on a wild goose chase." exclaimed a much older Sailor Nebula. She looked like she was twenty-five, at the very least. Her usually bright orange hair was a darker, more bedraggled color. The Dangerous Sailor Senshi's usually immaculate fuku was torn and dirty. With a sigh, she detransformed into a very loose and nearly opaque gown, which shimmered in the candlelight. She sat down on the selfsame chair that was Jadoku's hiding place and rested quietly for a few moments. "Mother?" a timid voice sounded as a young teenager slipped quietly into the room. The young girl was just a few inches shorter than Fukumi, and her long bushy hair was a white as newly fallen snow. In a startling contrast, her dark red eyes almost matched her mother's in intensity. She had a graceful dancer's body, but her muscles were clearly put through hard and vigorous training whenever possible. "Katei, what's the matter? I thought you went to bed before I left." "I couldn't sleep. I kept having these weird dreams." "What sort of dreams, honey?" Fukumi asked as the teenager crawled into her lap. "Scary ones. Ones where you weren't there. I can always feel you in my dreams, but this time you were gone." A shudder shook her thin frame. "Well, I'm right here, aren't I? And your father will be home soon, so we can all go to sleep in the big bed together." All of a sudden, the flaming orange head of Jadoku reared up from his hiding place and struck. With lightning quick reflexes, Katei grabbed him and threw him across the room, but not before he had bitten her. "Mom?" she said, terrified. "Katei.." Fukumi gasped as she slowly sank to the hard floor. "Get.your father.. if you can.." "No, Mother, no!" Katei screamed as she too began to feel the effects of the poison. By the time the guards that had been assigned to their residence arrived, both women were in a coma, and had to be rushed to a medical center immediately. "What happens to them?" Ami asked quietly. All of the senshi, the cats included, had been thrown into silence after seeing the horrible scene. They both die after about a year in a coma. the great voice said sadly. No one could save them, not even you, Princess Serenity. "And Jadoku?" Luna queried, trying not to let any of the anger she felt leak into her voice. He is court-martialed. The jury immediately decides that he should be punished in the most horrifying way. "Which is?" They take away his special abilities, and they make a spell that forces him to help her in the next life. "That's not half as harsh as he should have been punished!" Artemis said angrily. True. But they felt that this should make him see the error of his ways. Now, he said, once again addressing his attention to the rest of his time- traveling group. I must return you to the place that you found me. Within a few moments, a blur of colors and scenes surrounded them. Usagi could see a few of them, and she heard a mental caption along with them. A sunlit meadow. Children, not much older than toddlers play in the open field. One of the children separates from the milling mass of children and proceeds to climb a nearby tree. Her white hair billowed around her as she looked up at the sun. The child hears a voice and runs towards a woman whose red hair is as red as a rose. The woman picks the toddler up and walks away, laughing with the child. A chapel. It is jam packed with people and warriors. All of the Sailor Senshi are here, even Sailor Gothica and her mother. A tall, handsome man is standing at the altar. His jet black hair is barely restrained in a horse tail. Strands have already started to escape. Nothing misses his dark brown eyes as a certain Sailor Scout walks with her father up to the altar. It is obvious that she is pregnant. An underground tram. Kareonite is fending off the Sailor Scouts. A single blast from Mercury's Shine Aqua Illusion misses its original target and hits a seventeen year old who was trying to escape. Mars runs over and picks her up. As she does so, the girl's hair moves to reveal a strange symbol that resembles a lopsided fishing boat. Mamoru's apartment. Everyone is sitting at a table talking about what happened on the tram. All of a sudden, the kitchen door is flung open as the same girl from the train stumbles into the room. She claims to be the Sailor Senshi of the Nebula, but no one believes her until a certain Cape Cobra appears from his carrying place in her jacket. Usagi shook her head as more and more familiar scenes appeared in front of her. She wanted the ride of memories to end, but they continued until once again, everything went dark and she could see no more. 


	4. Chapter Four: Confusion

Chapter Four: Confusion God, this thing is like a bloodhound. Sailor Jupiter shook her head as she pounded onwards after the behemoth of a monster. No, this, this thing is Fukumi. Man, I hope that she's on the right track. As if in answer to Sailor Jupiter's unspoken question, the monster turned onto an unpaved road which lead to a small, quaint cottage by the side of a large wooded area. It was surrounded by flowers and plants of all different kinds. A fairly large garage was hidden in the back of the house. The monster stopped, shuddered, then melted until a tired looking Fukumi who was standing in a small pile of gelatinous fluid which was quickly reabsorbed into the ground. "Are you okay?" Makoto asked as she detransformed and ran over to support her friend. "Yeah. Nothing a few days of sleep couldn't fix," Fukumi replied as she steadied her self than began to walk towards the house. Makoto followed close behind with Jadoku bringing up the rear. "Michiru-san? Haruka-san? Are you home?" Fukumi asked tentatively as she knocked on the door. "Yes, who is it?" A young woman with teal colored hair stepped out onto the patio. She paled visibly when she saw Makoto. "Mako, what are you doing here? How did you find us?" "Michiru-san, I'd like you to meet Jinkyou Fukumi. She's the one who found you." "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Would you care for some tea? I just put some on the kettle." Michiru, although shaken, managed to compose herself and invite the Sailor Senshi into the house. As they stepped into the house, Makoto and Fukumi were taken aback at the beauty of the house. Soft, ethereal music drifted into the living room from the kitchen. The room itself was a pale green, and was filled with art supplies. On top of a table, a violin case was resting along with a bike helmet. Racing trophies covered on side of the room. As the two teens were taking in the room, an extremely tall, sandy-haired woman (although she could easily have been a man) walked in from where the garage attached to the house. "Michiru, I thought I heard the door shut. Who's-" She abruptly cut short her question when she saw the visitors. "Mako-chan. I thought that we saw the last of you at the disaster sight." "No, but I'd like you to meet Jinkyou Fukumi. She's the newest Sailor Scout." Makoto said timidly. She always felt a bit flustered around her, but when she saw the strange look that Haruka gave Fukumi (which she returned in full force), she felt a bit nervous. "A pleasure to meet you, Ten'ou Haruka, and you, Kaiou Michiru. Am I to assume that you are Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune?" Fukumi said this with such gravity and respect that it surprised Makoto. She felt that she knew Fukumi well, but most of the time when meeting new people, she hardly bothered to try to make friends with them. Maybe it's because they are more experienced Sailor Senshi than she is or we will ever become. Who knows what goes through her mind? Michiru and Haruka looked taken aback by her gravity. Haruka felt a little bit of immediate dislike for this girl. Her orange hair and red eyes were a bit creepy. Add that onto the fact that she was about an inch taller, and it made her a little bit odd. But, she thought, gently chiding herself. I might just not like to know that there is another lady out there who is taller than me. But Michiru doesn't seem to mind, so I'll just forget it. Michiru, on the other hand, was about as (or more) shocked as Haruka was. She was as unused to seeing another girl who was almost like Haruka when the time called for it. She looks like she doesn't like to sit still, or be polite. Mako seems to be thrown off by her behavior. It must not be usual. Michiru got the tea she had been preparing and they all sat down at the coffee table to talk. "What is your realm of influence?" Haruka asked curiously. " I am Sailor Nebula, and I rule over Anger and Hatred." Fukumi said this without any sadness over her lot (for it was not a typical realm for a good senshi to rule over). They talked for about ten minutes before Haruka asked something "Why are you and Mako-chan here?" Haruka finally asked the question that had been in her mind since she saw them. She thought that they had been safe enough from the worries of the Sailor Senshi here in their cottage. "Mamoru, Usagi, Rei, Ami, Minako, the cats and Chibi-Usa have been kidnapped by someone named Ryuu Kuki. We need your help to find them and rescue them as well." "Ryuu Kuki? Never heard of her." Haruka said indifferently, although the worry in her eyes belied her inner thoughts. Next to Michiru, Usagi was the only other person she felt close to. "Haruka, I think we should help them." Michiru said to her partner. "Yes, but what about Hotaru?" "Hotaru? She's here?" Makoto was surprised. Chibi-Usa said that she had been with her father Doctor Tomoe when she last saw her. "Yes. We're baby-sitting for the moment. We can't leave her now, she just settled down for her afternoon nap." "Well well well, looks like I have all of my troubles under one roof today." The sinister, laughing voice of Ryuu Kuki was audible as she kicked open the door to the cottage. Without a second's pause several transformation phrases rang out in the suddenly still house. "Uranus Planet Power! Makeup!" "Neptune Planet Power! Makeup!" "Jupiter Planet Power! Makeup!" "Nebula Mystery Power! Makeup!" Within moments, four extremely ticked off senshi stood in the middle of the room, ready for anything the evil woman could throw at them. "Oh, dear, it seems that the bad Sailor Senshi have come to hurt me!" The woman sneered as she looked mockingly at them all. "None the less, all I want is you, Nebula. Now, if you'll save yourself the hassle by coming with me, I would be most grateful." "Why don' ya try and take me?" the Sailor of Anger said as she tensed, then threw a very impressive uppercut right into the bounty hunter's gut. "Very nice. I think that the First was right to choose you." Kuki coughed as she tried to regain her footing (for Fukumi was one of her dojo's best students). "World Shaking!" The yellow light almost grazed Sailor Nebula, but she moved just in time. However, the attack was reflected off of Kuki and hit Uranus instead. "Uranus!" Michiru cried as she grabbed her partner. She quickly assured herself that her partner was ok, the stood and threw her two cents into the fight. "Deep Submerge!" "Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Jupiter also made herself heard. "Nebula Pronged Hate!" All three of the attacks combined into a lethal blob of molten energy. It rushed towards Kuki and exploded as it hit her. The three senshi grinned as they saw the smoke explode. But their hopes were dashed as the woman got up and attacked. She threw a weird looking bunch of pellets at them which increased in speed until it was like trying to dodge bullets. Not to mention that they had a nasty homing device, or so it seemed. "Enough with the games, Sailor Senshi." Kuki spit out the last two words with the most contempt and hatred she could muster. "I am going to ask you again, Sailor Nebula. Will you come quietly, or do I have to render you unconscious?" "You'd have to kiss my ass and send me to hell before I'll go with you. I dare ya." Without waiting for an answer, Sailor Nebula cried out "Nebula Frying Blast!", sending a glob of a weird rainbow colored liquid, which she then threw on the woman. It ignited her within seconds, but for some reason, did not harm her in the least. "Foolish girl. You aren't even near enough to the power you'd need to try and stop me." With that, she sent a tide of the bullets towards her, which then melted and surrounded her, effectively stopping her from using any more of her attacks. She then knocked out the rest of the senshi, and stopped to admire her handiwork. "Not bad. Not bad at all." She then pulled a cell phone from her uniform's single pocket. "First, if you're calling about the One, I've got her bagged perfectly." She allowed a snicker to escape her control. "Unharmed?" A deep, menacing voice replied over the phone. "Yes, and I'm about to add the rest of the missing Sailor Senshi to my collection. You don't mind, of course?" "No, just so long as we have Sailor Nebula, you are free to do as you please." This time the voice seemed to be happy, so it made his voice a bit nicer. By less than a millimeter. "Very well, master. I shall be seeing you soon." With that, she closed the cell phone with a snap. She allowed herself a single smile a she surveyed her work. This is very nice. Very nice indeed. Without another word, she silently teleported herself, Fukumi, Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Jupiter and (with about a moments worth of hesitation) little baby Hotaru, who had slept through the entire thing. 


	5. Chapter Five: Renewal

Chapter Five: Renewal  
  
Chibi-Usa woke with a start. She had a minor headache, and was still in the dungeon, but that was nothing compared to what she saw when she became fully awake. "Mako-chan! Michiru-san! Haruka-san! What happened?" she cried as she ran over to her friends. "That damn Kuki woman got us," Haruka muttered as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. "And that Fukumi girl is in her clutches. She really seemed to want her for some reason." "Oh, Mako-chan, Haruka, Michiru, what are you doing here?" All of the Sailor Senshi chorused as they too regained consciousness. Michiru explained. "Somehow, Mako and Fukumi found us in our little hideaway. We were just sitting down to talk and plan when Ryuu Kuki appeared and attacked. We just weren't strong enough," she finished regretfully. "All that matters is that you are all safe!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed happily. "Yes, but what about Fukumi? Kuki still has her." Mamoru asked. "Yeah, we still need to worry about her." Usagi said (for once acting like a responsible leader). "For all we know, she might be hurt!"  
  
  
  
Sailor Nebula was currently chained to a pedestal in the middle of a room not very unlike the one that the other Sailor Senshi were in. She had one thing on her mind, and that was getting out. She had remained conscious while she was inside the metal holding cell, but it wasn't very comfortable. When she could move again, the metal had melted off of her and she was in this position. "Whoever you are, show yourself!" she cried, not having anything better to do, since she couldn't move an inch. "Why not?" Kuki appeared hovering over her. "My master wishes to see you, and it has been such a long time, you know," she said, evilly. With that, she floated down to the floor and what looked like a ghost took her place, leering down at the prisoner. "Sssso, I finally meeeet you, Ssssailor Nebulaaaa." The ghost kept shifting shapes, so it was hard to identify just one of them as his "normal" view. "You arre going to bee the one who revivesss my true sself!" "Who in hoolies are you? All I know, is that I hope we aren't related. That would just be wrong." She finished angrily as she squirmed, trying to get as far away from him as she could. She suddenly found that she could free her arms, but decided to wait until a more convenient time came. But it looked like she was running out of time. "How muccch longerrr untillll the fullll moon, Kukiii?" "Less than four minutes, master." She purred happily. "Brinnnng in the executttionnn tool, now." Fukumi twisted her head until she could see the doorway appear out of nowhere, and the huge dog-like creature that lumbered through it. It had shaggy black fur, which stood on end. The werewolf (because Sailor Nebula couldn't think of a better term) had blood red bonds around its neck. It strained against them, drooling. "Master, should I move to the viewing room?" "Yesss, I think I ssshall accompany you. Farewell, Sailor Nebula." Sailor Nebula decided it was now or never as the two evil people disappeared and the bonds on the werewolf grew steadily weaker. She quickly moved her arms out of the bonds and summoned her dagger and staff. She sliced through her shackles and jumped to her feet as the last of the red ropes died away from the monster. It leapt forward with a howl of rage. Sailor Nebula and the monster circled each other warily. If I die, I will all of my possessions to Mako-chan. Sailor Nebula found herself thinking wildly. She pushed these thoughts away just in time to see the werewolf leap for her throat. She jabbed her dagger in what she hoped was a vulnerable part as she fell to the ground with the monster on top of her. It howled, a long, horrible sounding howl as it reached for her neck. But Sailor Nebula had one last trick up her sleeve. She summoned her staff this time, and shoved the dog-thing away with it, standing up as she did so. The thing gave a yelp as it hit the far wall with a thud, but got back up shakily. The two opponents went back to circling and testing the limits. Sailor Nebula decided to try one of her moves while this semi-truce existed. She cried, "Nebula Pronged Hate!" and sent the ball of molten energy towards her opponent. It hit the monster, sizzling its fur and burning it to a crisp within seconds. Nebula stood for a few more seconds, catching her breath. She listened, just in case there was another attack headed her way. There was. Another one of the werewolves appeared, this time it was about twice the size and probably the strength. "Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Chibi-Usa cried as the tiny little hearts began to slap the monster, sending it flying into the nearest wall. "World Shaking!" The huge planet shaped mass of power shot towards the werewolf, destroying it completely. "Sailor Scouts! How did you guys find me?" Sailor Nebula asked, stunned. "We used Sailor Teleport," Sailor Mars explained, coming over to support the now shaking Sailor Nebula. "Man, that thing really did a good job on you, huh?" "No, its former brother did." she replied, waving towards the lump of ashes. "We have to get out of here. Whats-her-face'll be her any second now to make sure that I'm dead." "Right!" And with that, all of the Sailor Senshi (and Mamoru) disappeared into nothingness. 


	6. Chapter Six: Attraction

Chapter Six: Attraction  
  
It was a sunny, warm day, as only a summer's day could be. It seemed as if everything was happy today. The birds were singing, the children from their preschool were laughing on the monkey bars, and even the grownups looked happy, just sitting in the sun, enjoying the beautiful day. Fukumi sighed with happiness. All this day needs is for Usagi to finish her workout at the gym, and this day'd be perfect. Usagi and Fukumi had gotten into a huge fight before Fukumi managed to drag Usagi out of her bed for the planned visit to the gym before shopping. However, Usagi was immediately whipped out of her bad mood when she saw her favorite person walking towards them. "Mamo-chan!" she squealed as she raced towards him, all of her personal belongings flying. "Uasko! Long time no see!" he said with a smile. "No Chibi-Usa today?" "Mamo-chan! You're supposed to pay attention to me!" She pouted at him. "Mamoru-san, who is your friend?" Fukumi asked as she jogged over to them. Usagi had been so excited to see Mamoru that she had dashed about three blocks to reach him. "Oh, I almost forgot. Seirei, this is Usagi and Fukumi. Usagi's my girlfriend." He grinned in a protective sort of way. Seirei was a tall, dark teenager. He looked like he was eighteen, at the very least. He had dark, wiry hair that was tied back into a horsetail. Seirei's skin was the color of a newly minted penny. He had black eyes that looked like they went on forever. But for some reason, Seirei didn't hear him. He was kinda goggling at Fukumi, who was doing the same thing. "Have I met you somewhere?" he asked softly. "No, I don't think so." She replied, still a little awestruck. I know him from somewhere, it's on the tip of my tongue! He looks so familiar. Seirei's thoughts were almost identical copies. She's just like the girl in my dreams! The hair, the eyes, even the little blue mark on her forehead is the same. Spooky. "Hey, you guys," Usagi said, trying to break the silence. "Why don't we head over to the ice cream shop? I heard they have a special on mint vanilla today." "What happened to our little visit to the gym?" Fukumi said, snapping out of her reverie. "Well, I just thought that we could go to the shop now, and-" "Wait a minute," Mamoru said, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "You mean to tell me that someone has finally managed to make Usako go to the gym?" This made everyone laugh as they walked towards the tiny ice cream shop.  
  
  
  
A few weeks later, Usagi, Makoto, Minako, Rei, Chibi-Usa and Ami were gathered around a small table for a Sailor meeting. They were relaxing and joking around when Ami decided that it was time to start. "Alright you guys, I think that we should start. Hey" she said, looking around the room. "Has anyone seen Fukumi? She knew about the meeting, didn't she?" "Yeah. I told her yesterday when she was working on her shift. She just nodded and kept sweeping." Rei said, a bit anxious. "Oh, I remember!" Chibi-Usa cried out, startling everybody. She grinned. "Fuku-chan told me that she wasn't going to be able to come because she was going to be with her boyfriend!" Chibi-Usa started giggling at the expressions on the other Sailor's faces. "Boyfriend? Since when did this happen?" Makoto asked, stunned. "Well," Usagi started, a bit hesitantly. "she and Seirei have been getting to know each other, and they've been really close since Mamo-chan introduced them." "But Fukumi?" Makoto asked. She was the closest person to Fukumi (besides Jadoku), and she just couldn't see her extremely tomboyish friend losing her heart to any mortal man. It just wasn't the redhead that she knew. "She did seem a bit starry-eyed when I told her about today." Rei said, thoughtful. "She was probably dreaming about him. I've seen him a handful of times, and I have to admit, he is kind of cute." "Wait a minute you guys," Ami said suddenly. "What does he look like?" "You haven't seen him?" Usagi asked. Ami shook her head. "I've been so busy with school work that I haven't had the chance," she said. "Well, he's tall, very dark and handsome." "He's got these gorgeous black eyes.." "And his hair is jet black. He wears it in this weird kind of ponytail." "Don't you recognize that description from anywhere?" Ami asked exasperatedly. When her friends had started talking about Seirei, something kept on nagging her from the back of her head. Now that she had heard a description about him, she knew exactly who he had to be. "What, from a wanted poster?" Usagi asked, a bit clueless. Rei cracked Usagi on her head. "No, baka. Ami, what are you getting at? I know for a fact that I've never seen him in my life." "No, but we did see him in another's life." she replied, mysteriously. "Ami..." Makoto said warningly. "When we saw Fukumi's life from that little droid thing," she said. "At the end, we saw the little snippets, remember?" "Yeah, but what's that got to do with any.. Oh." Usagi said, remembering. "Yes. Remember the chapel scene? Remember the tall man who was the groom?" "Yeah," Rei said slowly. "But that can't be him. I mean, he'd have to be almost as old as us, wouldn't he?" "Yes, but then, how would he be reborn every lifetime?" Chibi-Usa asked, curious. "Well, maybe whomever created the eternal life thing could give it to the people that we decided to marry in past lives." Usagi said quietly. Everyone stared at her, astounded. "What?" she said, a bit embarrassed. "Anyways, do you think that we should tell her about the stuff that we saw? I mean, we kinda owe it to her, after what happened." Everyone nodded, remembering the fateful day that they had met her. It was still fresh on their minds, even though it had been over a year since they met her. "But if we tell her that it is her destiny, then she might start to try and break away from the relationship." Rei said. "I mean, I know how much she hates to be ordered around by anything. In that way, we are a little bit similar." "I think that we should just wait a bit on the subject." Ami said , effectively ending the conversation. Everyone nodded and started to attend to other matters.  
  
?  
  
"Thank you so much for going to this reptile expo with me, Sei-chan." "No problem. I always wanted to see more animals, so I got my wish." The couple was currently looking at a pair of Leopard geckos. For this date, they had decided to go to a reptile show that was in the area. Fukumi sighed. She always felt so happy and tingly whenever she heard Seirei talk. She had never felt so happy in her life, except when she woke up after the accident. She felt like she had a purpose, something to look forward to every time that she woke up and started a new day. Seirei was feeling much the same way. I can't believe I got so lucky as to get to know Fukumi. She's perfect! And those dreams stopped once I started to go out with her. I kinda miss them, though. "Hey, lets go look at this cobra." he said, spotting a snake in a huge tank. "It looks almost like Jadoku!" "Yeah, its got his colors, too!" Fukumi exclaimed, zooming over to the table that held the snake. "Miss, what sex is that snake?" The lady smiled. "This snake is a female, but she was just purchased. I'm sorry," she said, noticing the look on Fukumi's face. "Oh wait, I think I see the girl who bought her. Miss Rosuto!" "Yes?" A young teenager pushed her way through a crowd of people. She was about 5' 7', with dark red eyes that were almost black. But the thing that really stood out about her was her snow-white hair. It was long and bushy, and reached almost to her waist. She had what looked like a moon shaped birthmark on her chest. But what made you stop and look for another second was the fact that it was a diamond that was fused to her skin. It was visible through the filmy white shirt that she was wearing, with a pair of tight jeans. "What do you need? I was just coming over to pick up the snake." "This young lady would like a word with you about the cobra." "What do you need?" She had a musical voice, that varied in pitch and tone with every single word she said. "Umm, I just wanted to know if you'd like to sell me the snake that you bought." Fukumi was a bit nervous about this girl. There was just something about her that she just couldn't place. It's almost like having déjà vu again with Seirei, only with a female version! "No, I'm really sorry," she said, and she looked it. "I promised to get this for a very special friend." "Oh, okay." With that, the girl walked off, carrying her purchase. Both Seirei and Fukumi stared after her. "Well," Seirei said, "Why don't we go and take another look at those albino ball pythons?" "Ok, sounds good to me." But before they could make their way over to the table, time stopped. It was as if someone had pushed the "PAUSE" button for everyone except Fukumi. "Sei-chan? Whats-" But then she realized that Seirei was frozen in time as well. She started to look around wildly for the cause of all that was happening. All of a sudden, as she looked under a table, a sudden movement caused her to jump into a defensive position. But all that she saw was a young woman, about her age, sitting on top of a table. She had short white hair, and a long ponytail. "Who are you?" Fukumi asked shakily. "Did you do this?" "A good friend of mine, Sailor Pluto, did this. Not me. I don't have that kind of power. To answer your first question, I am Sailor Star Healer. I'm here to grant you a little wish that you've had for quite some time, have you not?" "To know the truth about my past? About my family? About me?" "All of that, and much more." Sailor Star Healer smiled. "You'll get all of your memories back, from all of your past lives." "But." "No buts. Time's a wastin'. I don't have much time, so I need you to tell me yes or no." "Y..yes." "Ok then, now just hold still." Sailor Star Healer closed her eyes, and a warm, healing light started to flow towards Fukumi. It covered her, and she felt herself being lifted off of the ground. She really didn't notice it because she felt like she had been locked up for a long time, and only now was she being "unlocked". It continued for a few minutes, and then she fell softly to the floor. "I'll be seeing you later, Nebula." And with that, Sailor Star Healer disappeared. Fukumi rose unsteadily to her feet. In a few second, time started to flow again. She saw Seirei looking around him, and then he finally spotted her. "Fukumi, how did you get all the way over there?" He asked as he made his way over towards her." Man, she can be so hard to keep up with sometimes. But there was something wrong with her. She just stood there, looking at him strangely, and kept on babbling, "I remember. I can remember!" "Fukumi-chan, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She was really starting to worry him now. She looked like she had gone insane or something. She just kept on looking around, and repeating the same phrase over and over. "I remember it all now! I remember!"  
  
  
  
????? Back at Makoto's apartment, it was snack time. Chibi-Usa and Usagi were fighting over the remains of a Mississippi Mud Pie, while Rei was gulping down the rest of her virgin strawberry daiquiri (and getting a brain freeze at the same time). Ami was sipping a glass of 7Up, and Makoto was showing Minako how to make a strawberry shortcake. It had started to rain about halfway through the meeting, so everyone was trying to drag out the snack time, hoping that the rain would stop. All of a sudden, the door to the apartment slid open, and they could barely see who had opened it. Then a dripping wet Seirei stepped into the light carrying a limp bundle. "Usagi-san! Something happened to Fukumi-chan!" "What?" Usagi said, staring at the bundle of wet clothes. Now that she thought about it, it did look a bit like Fukumi. "We were at the reptile show," he began to explain. "We had just looked at a Cape Cobra, but the girl who bought it didn't want to sell it. We started to walk towards a different table when she suddenly disappeared. I couldn't find her until I looked towards one of the tables other tables. She was standing there, babbling about how she could remember stuff. She wouldn't do anything else, but I managed to get her outside. We made it a few blocks, but then she fainted!" "How long were you walking in the rain?" Minako asked, worried. "I don't know. I think an hour at the very least. I didn't have any money, and the bus broke down." "Well, it's a good thing that you brought her here." Makoto said. "First things first. Seirei, I have some spare clothes from my brother that should fit you. I want you to take a hot shower. It's the second door on the right." "Okay." he said. "Now then," Makoto said, addressing the other girls. "Lets get her to my bedroom so that Seirei doesn't see her. We need to get all of her clothes off. Good thing that I have two bathrooms." They carried Fukumi (no easy task in itself, because she was too long to bring around corners easily) to Makoto's bedroom, where they stripped her. They then took a bikini and put it on her. Minako started a hot bath for her, which she was gently placed inside of. Chibi-Usa offered to stay and watch her (to make sure that she didn't drown), while the other girls went into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for Seirei. After a few minutes, Seirei came out of the second bathroom wearing a pair of jeans and a grey sweatshirt with a hood. "This is for you." Rei said, placing the hot mug of chocolate in his hands. "Now go and sit yourself over there by the heater vent." "Thank you guys so much." he said, turning to everyone in the room. "She really started to scare me at the expo. She looked like she was so shocked, she could barely walk." He started to tear up. "Don't cry," Usagi said, putting her arm around his shoulder. "Fukumi's been beaten up a lot worse than this at school. She'll pull through, just you see." Everyone grabbed a mug and crowded around the table so that Seirei wouldn't be alone. About half an hour later, Minako went into the bathroom to help Chibi-Usa change the water so that the invalid would stay warm. After a few seconds, Minako came out. "Minna." she said shakily. "I think that you should come and see this." Everyone managed to crowd into the tiny bathroom. They saw a stark white Chibi-Usa sitting by the bathtub. Fukumi was laying straight out in the tub, but she was muttering something. It sounded like: "No..Back off, you slimy piece of crap..I'll get...Look at her,..beautiful isn't she?...white hair..." "Fukumi?" Seirei asked tentatively. "Fuku-chan, can you hear me?" "Sei-chan...can't reach you... where?" "I'm right here." He said, his voice breaking. "Can't you hear me?" "Seirei, why don't you and Chibi-Usa go out into the living room?" Rei asked gently. "You two should be able to talk about lots of things." "Okay," he said, his head hanging. After they were sure that Chibi-Usa had him busy enough, Ami said, "Usagi- chan, I think that you need to transform into Sailor Moon and use Moon Healing Escalation." "But that only works on youma, right?" she asked. "It's the only healing thing that we have right now, so do it." Everyone was shocked. Ami almost never used that tone of voice with anyone. "Okay, I'll do it." And with that, she became Sailor Moon and summoned the moon stick. "Moon Healing Escalation!" she cried, sending the healing spray toward Fukumi. When it hit her, she shuddered, and then her eyes slowly opened. "Mako-chan? Rei? Minako? Sailor Moon? What are you guys doing here? Where's Sei-chan?" she asked as Sailor Moon detransformed. "He's currently outside with Chibi-Usa, talking about cats." Rei said, sticking her head out of the door to listen. "How did I get here?" "Seirei practically dragged you from the reptile expo that you were at." Rei said. "Don't you remember? He said that you were still conscious when he got you on the bus." "I don't remember about that." She said slowly, "But I do remember everything." "What? You just said that you didn't remember anything! And you've had amnesia since we met you." Minako said, a little bit annoyed. "I know. But I can remember everything now." she said matter-of-factly, climbing out of the tub. Rei handed her a towel. "I know who I was, and where I lived. I was an orphan," she said, thinking for a second. "My parents died in the 9-11 crash. I moved here because my parents had relations that could take care of me. They died too." "Well," Minako said. "I have to say that once we get some decent clothes on you, there would be a certain young man who would like to see you." And with that, Fukumi was bustled off to Makoto's bedroom, where some of her spare clothes were. She got dressed and then went into the den to see Seirei. The girls called Chibi-Usa out into the hallway for a few minutes to give the lovebirds some time alone, and then went back inside. Fukumi and Seirei were together on the couch arms over each other's shoulders. They both looked extremely happy and content. "Are both of you guys feeling better?" Makoto asked as she brought over the shortcake that had finally finished. "Yeah." they replied in unison. "But look at the time," Fukumi said, dismayed. "I'm going to get it from Jadoku if I don't get home soon." "Yeah, me too." "My mom will kill us." was heard throughout the room. "Okay then. Why don't we all go home?" Ami said sensibly. Both Fukumi and Seirei grinned at each other. "Okay, why don't we get going." And with that, they left, hand in hand. Everyone else sighed and decided to ask Fukumi about her life later. 


	7. Chapter Seven: Birthdays

Chapter Seven: Birthdays  
  
Usagi was crushed. Mamoru's birthday was coming up, but she didn't know what to get him for his birthday. She had thought of several ideas, but none of them seemed to be perfect. She trudged onwards towards the video arcade until she bumped into a certain tall, black haired and eyed youth. "Oh! Seirei-chan! I didn't see you," she apologized, helping him pick up his books. "That's alright, Usagi. Hey, why are you looking so down? This is not the bubbling, bouncy, happy Usagi that I know." "I just can't find the perfect birthday gift for Mamo-chan." Usagi wailed, sitting down on the sidewalk, crying. "That's it?" he asked, a bit incredulous. "You're making such a fuss over that?" Usagi sniffed and nodded. She knew that she was being a baby, but she felt so bad about it, she just couldn't act normally. "Why don't you come with me to the book shop. He's started to like to read more now, and there's been this book that he's been dying to have. He said that he can't buy it, being on a budget for college and all, but I think that you could afford it." Seirei smiled, one of his winning smiles. "Oh, okay," and with that, they set off towards the bookstore.  
  
  
  
"Master, I have the perfect idea." Ryuu Kuki was pleading with her master for what felt like the hundredth time. She had been punished after the Sailor Scouts had escaped, and she wanted to get back into his good graces again. "What issss it thissss time?" he asked exasperatedly. The wraith was perched on top of the throne that had once been Queen Beryl's. Kuki was on the steps, kneeling. "I can use the werewolves that we have and have them track down the Sailor Scouts! Catching all of them and using the at the same time will make our powers increase tenfold!" "You'llll have to givve meeee a bettter rreasssson than that, Kuki." "Master, just let me try and capture Tuxedo Kamen. He's the weakest of them all, so it will be proof of my powers." There was a few seconds pause, then "Fine." Kuki bowed, and retreated from the throne room. But something appeared from the dark columns. It shifted to form what vaguely resembled a human female's body. Kuki took a step backward, and said with loathing, "Tenma, what do you want this time?" "Only to offer my services to a worthy comrade. Seeing as you are failing by yourself, I think you could use some help." "Oh, shut up, Tenma. I have been training the werewolves to perfection. I don't need your help," she spat. "Well then, when you do need my help, come over to my throne room. And make sure that you are ready to beg." A pearly white smile broke the darkness. "Go to hell." "Been there, done that. Heaven would be fun to destroy. Hell was too easy." She disappeared with a poof of smoke. "Bitch."  
  
  
  
"Hey, is this the book?" Usagi asked Seirei, throwing him a book from across the aisle. "No, keep looking. Its here somewhere, I know it." Seirei was currently scanning the titles of books, from A History of Witchcraft to How to Beat Mortal Kombat: A Guide. "Are you sure that this is where you saw it?" Usagi asked, exasperatedly. "Positive. Ahah!" he exclaimed, taking a book off the shelf he had been looking at. "Found it!" he cried, throwing it to Usagi. "Mythology: Fact or Fiction?" she asked. "Are you sure that this is the book he wanted?" "Absolutely. Now, let's see how much it is.. We can get it for him." He said confidently. He immediately brought it over to the cashier and bought it. "Now that we've got that out of the way, what do you say we go and get something to eat? It's almost lunchtime," he said with a grin, "and I have heard plenty about your appetite from Fukumi and Mamoru." "I'm not that bad," she said, racing to catch up to his long strides. "They were just exaggerating a bit, that's all." Two sandwiches, a piece of pie, and a Double Cherry Shake later, Usagi was quizzing Seirei about his life. She learned that he lived with his wealthy parents outside of town. He hated them, and so he liked to act as if he didn't have all that money. He was a book reading man, and he loved them. "Almost as much as Fukumi," he said, laughingly. When asked what he did with Fukumi on their dates, he was evasive, no matter how hard Usagi begged him to tell her. But the pleasant afternoon was ruined when a piercing shriek rent the air. "What the-" but Seirei never got to finish his sentence. A huge, wolflike creature crashed through the glass, grabbing him in his dagger-like teeth. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, taking the young man with it. Usagi, for once without hesitating, ran towards a bathroom, and transformed. "Moon Prisim Power!" Once she had finished transforming, she dashed out of the now ruined bathroom to find the werewolf standing outside of the restaurant, faced by a very pissed off Sailor of the Nebula. "What is your purpose, monster?" she asked, almost too sweetly. "Why have you come here? Don't try to hide it from me," she said, seeing the werewolf shake it's head. Seirei was hanging limply from its jaws. Sailor Nebula's eyes had gone white, stark white. "I can command you to reveal your secrets, but it is so much easier if you just tell me. No?" she asked, while the werewolf growled at her. "Then you shall suffer the same fate as the rest of your brethren have. Sailor Moon!" "Yes?" she asked shakily. "Use a move. Now!" she cried, seeing her hesitate. "Spiral Heart Attack!" The stream of hearts made a beeline for the werewolf, but it just shook them off like little gnats. "What? That should have worked!" Nebula cried, but the werewolf took no notice. It leaped over the car that she was standing on, knocking her over. Sailor Nebula hit the ground with a snap of broken bone. "World Shaking!" The huge planet attack hit the monster, blowing out one of its legs. Sailors Uranus and Neptune had arrived, and just in the nick of time. Damnit, that Nebula gets into more trouble in a day than odango atama does in a week! Uranus didn't know why, but something drove her to try and keep this girl alive, no matter how much it took. Since she's got her memories back, I'll have to ask her why the hell I am her "protector"! A red rose hit the ground in front of the now heavily bleeding werewolf. Tuxedo Kamen had arrived to help save one of his best friends. The werewolf had dropped Seirei to the ground, and it was obvious that he had fainted. "Trying to steal away young men who have just found the meaning of true love is a crime, and I will not have it. Sailors, combine your attacks to defeat this monster!" "Spiral Heart Attack!" "Deep Submerge!" "World Shaking!" The attacks combined into a spiral of planet shaped figures, and created a huge explosion. But when the dust cleared, the werewolf was still standing, and Seirei was nowhere to be found. "Well, it seems as if you Sailor Senshi are having a little bit of trouble with my newest creation," Kuki laughed as she floated down from the sky. "Did you happen to notice the little charm on its neck?" The senshi stared at the hair on the monster's neck until they could make out the little charm shaped like a moon. "That charm makes it so that the more powerful your attacks, the faster it will regenerate." "We'll destroy it, no matter what you have done to it!" Sailor Neptune cried, but she could see the truth in the Negaverse woman's words. Already a new leg was growing to replace the one that Sailor Moon had destroyed. All of a sudden, a ball of white flame engulfed the werewolf, burning it into ashes. Everyone there heard a ghostly voice, but only Fukumi recognized it. If you touch my friends, then you will have to pay the consequences. And with that, Kuki disappeared with a look of abject terror on her face (and obviously against her will). After the senshi had a few moments to recover, they started trying to help the rescue workers clean up the mess (for in the battle, a few people had been injured and buried under rubble). Fukumi was helping too, although a swarm of paramedics made this difficult, because they wanted to set her compound fracture in her right arm.. Only a direct order from Sailor Moon made the strong-willed Nebula submit to the administrations. However, the strangest part of the cleanup came when Sailor Uranus was taking a break from the work. She stood back and wiped her eyes. All of a sudden, she saw Seirei appear right in front of her face falling towards the ground. She barely managed to catch him. He's heavy! She thought with surprise. She barely managed to hand him off to a burly rescue worker before she dropped him. As she stood there, rubbing her arms, she thought I know for a fact that he wasn't there a second ago. What the hell is going on?  
  
?  
  
A few days later, at Mamoru's birthday party, everyone was celebrating for different reasons. Most of all, they were celebrating the fact that they had won against a new foe, and had come away relatively unscathed. Fukumi would wear the cast for a few months but as she jokingly put it, "If I do end up getting assaulted again, I can just smack him upside the head with my rock solid cast!" After everyone got tired of seeing Usagi and Chibi-Usa try and best each other at eating Makoto's excellent food, it was present time. Rei stepped forward and gave Mamoru a CD of his favorite songs, which he immediately started to play on his stereo. Minako gave him a beautiful white rose bush, while Makoto gave him a couple of easy but good recipes. Now Seirei and Fukumi's big secret was revealed (for they had been plotting for weeks to get his gift), for they gave him a customized laptop that was covered in rose engraving. Ami gave him some computer software that would help him get back in shape for school again, and Chibi-Usa gave him a very well made wallet that she had spent all of her allowance on. Usagi was nervous when it came to her turn. She was worried that Mamo-chan had decided to get the book after all, and that she would look the fool. She handed him the wrapped package and stepped back as he opened it. "Usagi, did you really buy this for me?" She nodded mutely. She saw his eyes running over the little inscription that she had written. After he finished, he looked into her eyes, and embraced her. Everyone cheered as they stood there, Usagi blushing furiously, while Mamoru was oblivious to it all. "Thank you, Usako. Thank you for everything." "You're welcome," she whispered back. 


	8. Chapter Eight: Sabotage

Chapter Eight: Sabotage (Note from the Author: This chapter is a bit different in a few ways. First, Tenma makes a serious appearance in this chapter, wreaking havoc and mayhem wherever she goes. Also, this chapter is narrated by Fukumi whenever possible. I got a little bit tired of the "bystander" point of view)  
  
Tenma was sitting in her throne room, thinking. It was not natural for her to think hard and long, but she needed to think about the new problem. That is, the threat that the Sailor Senshi posed to her plans. She knew that this threat was not one that would go away with some time. No, she was going to have to take this into her own hands, seeing as Kuki was too incompetent to handle what should be a small operation. Tenma smiled with pleasure as she imagined presenting the remaining pieces of those sailor brats. She shook her head. Now was the time to plot for her upheaval.  
  
  
  
As I walked down Main St. with Seirei, I couldn't help but think that I had fallen into a dream and couldn't wake up. I mean, just how many guys like Seirei are actually out there, and still single (not to mention in someone's league like me)? I sighed and snuggled a little closer to him. He smelled good. "Hey, Fukumi?" he asked, snapping me out of my "little" daydream. "Wha?" "I was thinking, do you want to invite a few of your friends to a cruise?" "Since when did you get a couple o' cruise tickets, hotshot?" I said teasingly at him, poking his side. "Well, my parents decided that as an early birthday present, I could take a bunch of my friends on a cruise. And, well, I thought that-" "That I might not want to go?" I asked gently. He nodded mutely. I think, to be honest, that he's just as semi-confused and happy as I am. He doesn't show it much, but so do I. He knew that I hated frilly stuff, and knowing his parents (we'd met a handful of times), it was going to have a few other dignitaries, and would be rude to not dress up. "Seirei, I'd walk over burning coals if it meant going on a thing like this. Even with the frills." I said, adding the last part. "Thank you, Neb. I know that you and my parents have had a few misunderstandings, but thank you." "Thank you for what?" Usagi asked, popping out of nowhere and pretending to be a reporter. "Was it a thank-you compliment thank you? Or was it," she said, pausing dramatically. "a KISS thank you?!" "Usagi, you baka," Rei-chan panted as she caught up to her. "You don't know when to keep you big mouth shut! I'm really sorry, Fukumi," she said directing her comments at me. "I tried to keep her from spotting you guys, but she got past me." "It's okay," I laughed, holding my sides with mirth. "just seeing the look on Sei-chan's face made it worth it." Seirei made the offer to both of them (however, he was a little bit more stiff than usual). Both of them readily accepted the invitation, and were planning their dresses when we left them. "Seirei, I hope that you're not mad at me for laughing at you. You really did look a little bit funny." "It's okay," he said, a bit bashfully. "I should be used to it from being around you guys." I laughed and ruffled his hair, racing down the street to escape his retaliation.  
  
  
  
I had finally caved into Minako's persistence and allowed her to dress me up for the cruise. Seeing as I lack taste in my clothes (Minako's words, not mine), she thought that I might turn up at the cruise wearing a pair of muddy boots and biker chick clothes! As if. "Let me see," she said, eyeing my figure. "I think that the best thing for you would be a nice bluish color." "What?" I said, but she had already disappeared into her wardrobe, shifting her many dresses. She reappeared holding a gown of aquamarine colored silk. "Here," she said, shoving the dress at me. I cringed. Dresses were just too frilly for me. "Just put this on and see," she pleaded, patronizing. "Fine!" I said, throwing up my hands. I ducked behind a screen and shed my usual clothing and pulled on the gown. It was so soft and light, I almost didn't notice it. Almost. I missed my pants with their pockets for hiding things. When I came out a few minutes later, blushing furiously, Minako gasped. "What?! Do I look like a man in woman's dress?" I hated dresses, and I probably DID look like a fish out of water. "No, not at all," she said stunned. Without another word, she grabbed my shoulders and pushed me around to the mirror that was hanging nearby. My mouth dropped when I saw my reflection. I looked like a princess. Not that I wasn't one already, but this went beyond that. The dress resembled Princess Serenity's own royal gown, but there were changes. Where the Princess' dress had interlocking circles, this dress had patches of cloth that resembles heart crystals. Also, the bow on my back was more of a small knot, with the tassels hanging down from it in shifting colors, from pink to green to almost white and black. Minako crept to my back and undid the elastic that held my braid. My red hair billowed around my face, curly from so many braiding. It framed my face like a model's would before a photo-shoot. "Wow," I breathed. I had never looked this good, no matter what Seirei said. I grinned when I thought of his eventual reaction. "Do you want to have any earrings, Fukumi-chan?" Minako asked quietly. Not that she needs them, with the way that she looks now. She was a little bit jealous because of the way her friend looked with so little effort. "No, I think that I'll just wear a pair of hoops." But the earrings that I had didn't look right, so I had to eventually borrow a pair of Minako's.  
  
  
  
Later on that night in my little room at Rei's temple, I was nervous. Did I have my hair right? Should I put my hair back up? I had become increasingly annoyed with my loose hair as the day had worn on. It got into everything, and I could barely see out of it when it got in my eyes. I whipped my head around as I heard a car pull up to the entrance. Rei poked her head in. "Fukumi-chan, come on! Seirei's here." "Okay." Alright Fukumi, take a deep breath. Straighten your shoulders. If he doesn't like the hair, then you can quickly put it back into a braid. I gulped and walked out towards the main hall, where Seirei and Rei were waiting. I blushed when I saw him. He was wearing a white tuxedo, which was immaculate. He was all nice and clean, and I could smell his favorite brand of cologne as I got closer. But there was something different about him. When he gave me a hug and a kiss, I finally noticed what was throwing me off so much. "Sei-chan, you cut your hair!" I exclaimed, running my hands through his newly shortened hair. He had gotten it cut before, but never as short as this! It was now about as short as Mamoru's, maybe shorter. "Yeah, but it started to get to be too much of a hassle," he said, walking us out to the car like a gentleman. "It was almost as long as Ami- san's." "I think you look good like that, Seirei." Rei said as if that settled the matter. She started talking about random topics, and before we knew it, we were at the dock. I stepped out of the car and almost fell over my own big feet. Minako (bless her heart) had managed to find a pair of oversized heels for me, but I still hadn't mastered the art of walking in them. Seirei caught me right before I fell into a big mud puddle. "Now I think that it is you who looks funny, Fuku-chan," he whispered into my ear. "I saw your face right before you fell." I blushed again. I had had a split second to think "oh no" before I lost my balance. We walked over to where everyone else was standing. Ami had Luna draped over one shoulder, and was hearing a dark blue dress with some frills. She looked like I felt, but at least she could walk in high heeled shoes. Minako was talking to Chibi-Usa about something secret, because I couldn't hear them. Usagi and Chibi-Usa were wearing almost identical dresses that bore a resemblance to their Silver Millennium dresses. Minako was wearing a red party dress, and Mamoru was wearing, as always, a black tuxedo. We all filed slowly into the boat to meet Seirei's parents. As I walked with Seirei, I heard the one voice that I did NOT want to hear. "Nice place. They could use a little bit less draperies, though." "Jadoku," I hissed angrily at him, ducking into a corner so that Seirei wouldn't see me. "What in hoolies are you doing in my backpack?" "I just thought that you would need a chaperone." he said with all the coolness of a cucumber. "I don't want any funny business," he said, giving me the fish eye. "Fuku-chan? Who are you talking to?" Seirei said, finally having realized that I wasn't just being extra quiet. "Are you hiding someone from me?" he asked slyly. "No, I just decided to have a talk with the wall," I said, smiling weakly. I felt Jadoku slide up into my backpack, staying out of sight. We resumed our walk to the ballroom (yes, there was a ballroom, big enough for the inaugural ball), and made it there in time. I had to take a step back and look at everything. It was almost as if someone had painted the place with gold paint. There were gold tables, silver plates, and ebony seats. "I didn't know that your parents were this rich," I hissed at him as we made our way over towards his parents. "I thought I told you. Anyways, my sister is the reason for all of this stuff." Before I could ask him what he meant, he had walked with me up to the dais saying, "Mother! Father! It is so nice to see you again." He took his mother's hand and kissed it, drawing strange looks from Usagi until Rei hissed an explanation. "It is good to see you too, son." Seirei's father said, stepping down from the small platform. He looked like an exact duplicate of Seirei. The only difference was that he had stark white hair. He had a slightly heavier build, and was very wrinkled. Before I could say anything, I found my hand being vigorously shaked by gnarled weather beaten hands. "And you are the young 'fire hair' who has so captured my son's heart." I was astonished. I had only gotten a glimpse of them before, and they had been cold hard and aloof. This was a totally different pair of people. "I also wish to see the young woman as well, Shiroi." Seirei's mother was also looking at me. She had beady eyes, but they were a dark red, darker than mine. She too had white hair, but not the dark skin that both her husband and her son had. She peered at me, and must have decided that I was suitable, because she turned away and started greeting the other people who were there. "Fuku-chan! I have someone that you'll love to meet!" Seirei called, drawing my attention from his parents. He was standing next to a girl who looked like she could be his twin. She had blonde hair with purple highlights (which was odd in itself). She had eyes that could have been Seirei's in a masculine face. She was lithe, muscular, and very skinny. I'll bet an arm and a leg that Mako-chan would love to face off with this girl. I thought grimly, preparing myself for another round of introductions. But this was different. She just walked towards me and held out her hand, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Jinkyou Fukumi." "And you, Awai..." "Kagirinai. Awai Kagirinai," she finished for me, a devilish glint in her eye. "Think you can say that?" "Probably not, but I think that I'll just stick with Kagiri for now." I said, trying to imitate her parents attitude. Thankfully, Seirei appeared at my side, giving me comfort. I hated to admit it, but I was claustrophobic, and this room was not helping one bit. Seirei saw my discomfort, and asked his sister (because that was why they bore such a resemblance) to please excuse us, he had just promised to take me around the boat. We walked out onto the main deck, where some couples (Usagi and Mamoru included) were dancing to a small orchestra. Seirei and I just stood near the side of the boat, watching the city skyline pull away. We just stood there for a few minutes, standing close to each other. "Hey, Fuku-chan, do you want to dance?" he asked after about ten minutes of silence. It kind of startled me, having him talk like that. His voice had gotten all husky and deep, not at all like the man that I knew. "Sure," I said, trying to mask my uncertainty. I was never a good dancer, my big feet had never quite mastered the lessons that I had tried for Mako- chan's sake. Not to mention I wasn't sure how long I could go for without tripping over my feet in the high heels that I was currently wearing. But before I could try and fib out, he had pulled me over to the dancing floor, and held my hands in preparation for the waltz that was coming up. I felt all wobbly and scared. What if I messed up? What if I made a huge idiot of myself, and Seirei decided to break up with me? But these thoughts were swept away as the musicians sprang up into the music. All at once, we were swept away into another world. Seriously. Another world. I blinked, clearing my eyes. There was Seirei, but where were we? I couldn't move, all that I could do was watch as I danced with him. He looked, different. He had on what looked like a white version of Prince Endymion's uniform. It had grey where there should be black. But what was really interesting was what he was saying. "Princess Nebula, do you think that this is seemly?" he asked in a whisper. "I know that everyone is watching us." Fukumi glanced down at herself, and saw that she was still wearing the dress that she had been wearing to the cruise! She felt herself say, "Don't worry, Seirei. They would have found out soon enough." As Seirei swung me past the orchestra, she saw Princess Serenity goggling at her, along with the rest of the senshi. Queen Serenity was restraining Prince Endymion, but just barely. Within a few moments, the quartet had faded away, and the entire court of the Moon was in an uproar. "Princess Nebula." Queen Serenity's voice penetrated the babbling. "Worker Seirei." Seirei bowed respectfully to his queen. "I would appreciate if there was some sort of explanation for all of this." Her voice was strained. Seirei stepped forward to start, but I gently pushed him back. I smiled at my queen and said. "I am truly sorry for all of the disruption that we have caused tonight, my queen." I curtsied, which I would never do in my life, but who knew what was happening? "Seirei and I met when I was reassigned to the Moon Palace for the Princess's protection." I smiled at my petite friend, and she smiled shakily back. "He was assigned to my rooms, as you may recall." The queen nodded, but made no move to stop me, so I plowed on. "We became, close, closer than twins. It took a while, but he managed to break my outer cover that I have kept on myself, for my past, and what has happened and what will happen. And, we became so very close," my throat closed up, afraid at what the reaction would be to my statement. "that we formed a bond that is unbreakable. There was no ceremony," I said, shaking my head at the horror on Endymion's face. What was I doing? I felt like a bystander, just listening to my own words with some interest, but with the rest of me somewhere else. I had no idea what was going on, but hopefully this would sort itself out. "We.became even closer after the ceremony..and." I said, stumbling over the words that would have to come. "There is life inside of Princess Nebula's body." Stoic, solid Seirei said, hugging me to him, but making sure that the Royal moon couple got the message. "The child in her body is my child." My mind is reeling. A kid?! I'm barely out of high school, let alone old enough to have a kid. But then it hit me. This was the Moon Kingdom. I had been in shock from all of the stuff that was going on, I hadn't recognized the descriptions that everyone had told me about. I had felt so out of place when I got my powers, I had wanted to know everything. But Usagi had never mentioned stuff like this! "Would.Would you please repeat what you just said?" Queen Serenity said, quiveringly. She had stood up, shakingly holding onto her husband. He had remained seated, knowing that this was something for the two to figure out by themselves. "I am carrying a child." I heard my voice saying, almost on the verge of sobs. "Queen Serenity, Prince Endymion, minna," I said, turning to my friends. "I would prefer to talk to you in private." The scene changed. It was in my personal quarters. Don't ask me where that information came from, because I have absolutely no idea. I was sitting on my bed, and Seirei was right next to me holding me as I cried. The rest of the Sailor Senshi filed into the room, seating themselves on the chairs. Sailor Jupiter was the first to speak. "Well," she said, running her hand through her brown hair. "Well, Neb, I'd say that you have the place set on it's ears, and that's a bit more than Serenity has ever managed to do." Serenity stuck her tongue out at her friend, while everyone else tittered nervously. Then all at once, I found myself covered in my friends, getting hugs and slaps on the back. I could barely make out sounds of congratulations, and comments like "so that's why you've refused to transform for the students", or "I thought that your waistline was getting bigger". "So, Neb," Mars said, trying to be offhand about it. "how old is the baby? How much more time do we have before a chibi of you is running around the palace?" "Ummm.." I said, stalling. I had no idea, but I knew that Seirei knew. He had been a bit stunned at the Princess's informality. Of course, he had never known me like this. "It will be due in about another few months, Mars." He said, smiling at my raven friend. "About two more, I think." "Two months!" everyone shrieked, startling Jadoku out of his slumber. Jadoku, true to form, had both not mentioned my love with Seirei and had also slept through the commotion that was first made. He glared at the senshi and said, "Yes, two more months. But I think that the baby is still relatively undamaged, seeing as you all just about half crushed her with you happiness." Everyone cringed, and Usagi started crying. "Fuku-chan," she sobbed, using my informal name, "did we hurt it? Is it going to die because of us?" I laughed at her. I just couldn't help it! "No, baka, I can still feel her." "It's a her?" Seirei asked, surprised. That was one thing that I hadn't told him: that I had mental contact with my daughter. I could feel very vague thoughts, like happy or uncomfy. It helped me keep her from being unhappy. "Yes, and she's a very happy her." I said, laughing at his face. But then, thank goodness, everything suddenly shifted back to the dancing floor. I was standing there, leaning on Seirei shaking. This would have worked, had he not been trembling just as bad as I was. Seirei, did you." "Yeah. What was that?" he said. Oh great, he saw ALL OF IT. The ballroom, my room, EVERYTHING. He knows that we're REAL. I need to find out how to make him forget. "Let's go sit down." I finished quaking with fear. What was I going to tell Usagi?! What was I going to do! No one was supposed to know, I knew that much. Rei had hammered that into my head all the time that I had spent at her shrine. Shimatta, and this was such a nice evening... 


End file.
